Administrator's statement: Executive Board of UNDP and UNFPA

News Bulletin: Young leaders say "No" to business as usual in Asia and Pacific countries

Knowledge Services: Real-time solutions for a developing world

Communities of Practice: Democratic Governance • Poverty Reduction • Crisis Prevention and Recovery • Energy and Environment • HIV/AIDS

Cross-cutting areas: Capacity Development • Gender in Development • Information & Communications Technology

In Brief:

• Agencies to launch flash appeal for Haiti – 24 September 2004: UNDP and other international agencies are preparing to launch a flash appeal on Monday to help Haiti, where more than 1,100 people have died and 1,250 are missing in floods after hurricane Jeanne hit earlier this week. UNDP has deployed staff to support the authorities in Port au Prince and Gonaïves. Together with the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, it is working closely with government health, water and sanitation, education, agriculture and other departments to mount a rapid response.

• HIV/AIDS and poverty pose major challenges to Botswana, says report - 24 September 2004: HIV/AIDS and high levels of poverty remain key challenges to progress towards the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) in Botswana, according to the report released today. Despite a growing economy, "the scourge of HIV/AIDS continues to impede government efforts to reduce poverty and hunger as it affects everybody, including the able-bodied, " says Finance and Development Planning Minister Baledzi Gaolatlhe. More…

• Business and development series airs worldwide – 23 September 2004: CNBC/World begins broadcasting today to more than 100 million viewers globally a new television programme demonstrating how business and development can work together to meet the Millennium Development Goals. UNDP Administrator Mark Malloch Brown says the series, entitled The Business of Development, "isn't about tomorrow's stock price; it is about markets 10 years from now." More...

• UNDP Botswana TV programme wins an award - 23 September 2004: A UNDP-sponsored television programme recently won an international award at the annual Highway Africa New Media Awards. TalkBack, a weekly live interactive television programme aimed at increasing HIV/AIDS awareness among students and teachers is part of a wider HIV/AIDS prevention effort carried out by the Ministry of Education, with support from the UN Foundation, UNDP and the African Comprehensive HIV/AIDS Partnerships. More…

• Africa 2015 gets support from World Athletics Final - 22 September 2004: Africa 2015, a communications initiative promoting the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals, has received US$25,000 from the International Association of Athletics Federation. "Athletes have responsibilities to young people and towards human development," said Prince Albert of Monaco, presenting the cheque after the World Athletics Final in Monaco last weekend. More...

• Over 1,200 organizations vie for sustainable development partnership awards - 22 September 2004: More than 1,200 organizations have proposed innovative partnerships for business ideas to the Supporting Entrepreneurs for Environment and Development (SEED) Initiative, of which UNDP is a member. The proposals, spanning issues as diverse as eco-tourism and women empowerment, will compete for five inaugural awards, to be announced next April, inspiring locally-driven entrepreneurial partnerships to help achieve the Millennium Development Goals through ‘business as unusual’. More...

• UN begins flash appeal for Grenada –21 September 2004: The UN Subregional System (UNSRT) in Barbados and the Eastern Caribbean has initiated preparation of a flash appeal for financial assistance to help Grenada recover from devastation wreaked by Hurricane Ivan. The resources to be raised from the donor community will be directed towards meeting the immediate and transitional recovery needs in shelter, livelihoods, food security, health, education and the environment. More...

• Cameroon receives 25,000 transparent ballot boxes - 21 September 2004: Cameroon has received 25,000 see-through ballot boxes donated by the Canadian, Japanese and UK governments. UNDP Cameroon helped raise over US$1 million from these donor governments and will offer further support to the process leading up to the Presidential election scheduled for 11 October 2004.

• World leaders shared views in the combat against hunger and poverty – 21 September 2004 : At a summit on fighting hunger and poverty yesterday at the UN Headquarters, leaders from the North and South discussed different needs that have to be strengthened to make better progress towards the Millennium Development Goals. President Lula of Brazil, who together with President Chirac of France have established the forum Action Against Hunger and Poverty to explore new sources of financing development, chaired the meeting. He stressed that all members of the global community must take responsibility to fight poverty and hunger and to encourage development. More…

• Pan-Asian Youth Leadership Summit opens - 20 September, 2004: Some 1,200 people attended the official opening of the Pan-Asian Youth Leadership Summit in Hiroshima, Japan, today. Part of the Asia-Pacific 2015 initiative to spur achievement of the Millennium Development Goals, the summit aims to mobilize and support young leaders, giving them access to training, knowledge and skills to meet the challenges facing their countries and communities. More...

• Political will, all-inclusive participation essential to realization of governance and human rights, concludes seminar in Seoul - 20 September 2004: A two-day seminar last week on governance and human rights in Seoul co-sponsored by the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) and UNDP brought together government representatives from about 80 countries. Participants discussed linkages between democratic governance and human rights, rule of law, corruption, and identified challenges, including how to ensure justice, equity, and accountability. They concluded that political will, all-inclusive participation, and human rights education at all levels are the cornerstones for effective implementation of democratic governance, human rights and poverty reduction. More…

More In Brief...

UNDP is the UN's global development network

It advocates for change and connects countries to knowledge, experience and resources to help people build a better life. We are on the ground in 166 countries, working with them on their own solutions to global and national development challenges. As they develop local capacity, they draw on the people of UNDP and our wide range of partners.

World leaders have pledged to achieve the Millennium Development Goals, including the overarching goal of cutting poverty in half by 2015. UNDP's network links and coordinates global and national efforts to reach these Goals. Our focus is helping countries build and share solutions to the challenges of: Democratic Governance, Poverty Reduction, Crisis Prevention and Recovery, Energy and Environment, and HIV/AIDS.

UNDP helps developing countries attract and use aid effectively and integrates information and communications technology for development into its work in democratic governance and poverty reduction. In all our activities, we promote the protection of human rights and the empowerment of women. More about UNDP...